Council again postpones hearing on Lund Ranch

City awaiting decision by state commission on Councilman Jerry Pentin's eligibility to vote

A public hearing scheduled for tonight on a bid by Greenbriar Homes to build 50 houses on the now-vacant 195-acre Lund Ranch II site in the hills south of Sunol Boulevard has been postponed, at least for two more weeks.

It's the second postponement in as many weeks.

Councilman Jerry Pentin requested the delay while Pleasanton City Attorney Jonathan Lowell seeks a determination by the state Fair Political Practices Commission if Pentin lives too close to the areas affected by Greenbriar's housing bid to participate in the discussion and vote by the council.

Depending on how soon the FPPC's decision is made, the council will reschedule the public hearing again, this time until Nov. 17. Without an FPPC ruling by then, the hearing could be delayed another two weeks until Dec. 1.

The postponement is yet another delay in the consideration of a plan for a major housing development on the former Lund cattle ranch. The first plan was proposed in September 2002 when 113 homes were proposed for construction on 12,000-square-foot lots.

At that time, the city's Planning Commission expressed concern over that project's effect on hillsides. The proposed development then changed hands and it was not until April 2007 a new builder proposed 149 homes on 3,000-square-foot lots. Those plans again were delayed and, a year later, Measure PP became the law of Pleasanton.

Although Measure PP doesn't affect the latest 50-home development plan which would be built on a fairly flat bow of the old ranch, not on hillside slopes, it's the needed 50-yard extension of Sunset Creek Way that will have to cross a steep slope that falls under Measure PP's terms.

The city's Planning Commission approved the plan Aug. 26 in a 4-1 vote, ruling that the upscale home development could be accessed only by a new 24-foot-wide road that Greenbriar must build to connect to Sunset Creek Lane, which homeowners would then use to reach Sycamore Creek Way and Sunol Boulevard.

Comments

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Posted by Fredrick Jones
a resident of Heritage Valley
on Nov 4, 2015 at 4:48 pm

Most of the council promised the voters to support PP and protect the hills when they campaigned around town. There is no way a road carved into a steep slope is protecting the hills.

It looks like the road has to go through Ventana Hills unless a deal can be arranged.

Yep it's a slippery slope that measure PP created, let's see how the planning commission sneaks this one past us. It's going to get passed, that road will be built on that slope, the planning commission could care less about measure PP,, once again "smoke and mirrors" and the developers win again!!

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